Vehicles generally have a passenger compartment that adjoins a front end structure. One problem with such body structures is that they reduce leg room in the passenger compartment. Another problem with these types of body structures is that they may not provide sufficient strength in the event of a collision.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,670 discloses a bodywork arrangement that has an acceptable level of strength but the interior space configuration in the foot space of the passenger compartment is reduced by the bodywork arrangement. The bodywork is self-supporting and is illustrated in the patent by a simplified diagram as a spatial framework that is composed of a plurality of rods. The foot space is reduced by a tension rod that engages the lateral structural elements at the end points of the tension rod. When the front-end longitudinal members apply a force to the lateral structural elements of the upper trapezoidal structure, the force component acts in a transverse direction causing the lateral structural elements to bend apart the A-column elements laterally outwardly. The tension rod is an integral component of the upper trapezoidal structure and is provided to counteract the effect of the A-column elements being bent apart.
The above problems and other problems are addressed by this disclosure as summarized below.